In 1986, the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) began with just a handful of volunteers collecting trash along the Texas coast. Twenty eight years later, the ICC has become the largest ocean volunteer effort with events across the globe.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the pervasiveness of plastic pollution in our ocean ecosystems. In 2013, plastic bags were the 4th most common trash item collected, and the newly released 2014 data confirms this trend. According the 2014 ICC report, the top five items collected in the cleanup were cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles, plastic bottle caps, and plastic bags (grocery bags being the most common). Plastic pieces topped the list for micro-trash (smaller than 2.5 cm), in front of foam and glass.

With plastic bags and pieces recorded in such great quantities, our efforts towards SB270, the plastic bag ban, become even more necessary. Learn more about SB270, and take action to to show your support here.